Published on : 27 Sep 2025, 12:23 pm 3 min read

The Kerala High Court on Friday directed the State government to take steps to declare snakebite cases and deaths a notifiable disease under the Kerala Public Health Act, 2023, within two months [ Kulathoor Jaisingh v State of Kerala & ors ].

The Division Bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Shoba Annamma Eapen observed that many States in India have declared snakebite envenoming as a notifiable disease, making it mandatory to report cases, as without reliable data, policy interventions remain ad hoc .

" However, in the State of Kerala, snakebite envenoming has not yet been declared a notifiable disease ," it said.

The Court noted that for effective measures to address the issue of snakebites, the State must

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